forgotten_storiesfandomcom-20200214-history
Snowfalls
PG- Mild violence. Disclaimer: Warriors and most of the characters in this story are owned by Erin Hunter. Grayheart, however, is my own character. ---- He had no idea where he was. Whenever he looked around, all there was, was white. White specks fell onto white ground on which he stood, and wherever he went there was only more. So he just sat. Maybe someone would find him. A warm breeze prickled his fur, and a scent of sweet mountain breeze filled his nose. He lifted off his haunches and followed it, as if it were guiding him. He felt himself light up when the snow eventually fell away into a lush green, which sloped up into a steep hill. Without hesitation, he climbed the hill, thanking StarClan, and realised the hill was a border for even more green land. He padded along the hill border, noting the mountains that towered on one side in the distance. He guessed it was the mountain where the Tribe of Rushing Water lived; his mother had told him stories of their appearance when he was just a kit, living amongst the dirt and prickly thorns at Snakerocks. He never found it fair, how other ThunderClan kits would live comfortably with their mothers in their actual clan camps, while he had to be hidden at all costs because his mother couldn't be careful. But that was in the past, now. He stopped when the hill suddenly fell away, revealing a stream that almost cut the border in half. The gap would be a bit difficult to jump across, he decided, so he carefully picked his way down, jumping across the stream, then climbing his way onto the other side. Then the grey tom continued, stopping when he saw in the far distance a forest; in particular, the forest he calls home. He almost considered going there, but stopped and turned around, gazing inside the borders to find another forest. This one's trees were bigger, and there were more bushes, but the trees were more spaced out. He half-slid and half-skidded his way off the hill border and ran to the recently discovered forest, stopping once he entered to drink in any nearby scents. Evidently, it was very rich with prey-scent, but he didn't want to hunt at the moment. He focused on exploring the territory. Eventually he found his way to the other side of the forest which revealed a bigger, less steep hill. He trotted his way up top, freezing and opening his mouth in awe when he saw a large tree with dark bark. It clung onto a flat stone then its roots dug into the soil. There was a part where its roots were stretched out in a way that he could make a nest and rest in there, but his gaze flickered upwards, astounded that the tree didn't have leaves, but instead pink, elegant flowers. Next he glanced at the ring of flat rocks, the cherry tree having grown on the biggest one, and peered into the hole that the ring made. Inside it was a rather large spring, its waters sparkling and clear, letting him see his own reflection staring back at him. He listened to the soft trickling of the water that fell into the spring, and the water that flowed away from it. Another reflection came beside him, a beautiful white she-cat with eyes as blue as the sky. He turned around to ask her for her name, but she had suddenly disappeared. He took a step back in confusion, and that was when a ball of white danced its way down. He stared at the snowflake, wondering if he could never escape from the white void he had seen a while ago. It only hit the stone in front of him. Snow always falls, a voice told him inside his head. His eyes widened in surprise. Then he woke up. "... Graypaw!" was the first thing he heard. Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes and turned around to meet the cat that kept poking his rump. It was Bluepaw. "What in Silverpelt do you want?" Graypaw growled, curling back up in his nest and flicking his ear in annoyance. "What do you mean, what do I'' want? The clan's waiting for you! It's your warrior ceremony today!" Instantly, the grey tom widened his eyes and burst out of the den, to find that indeed Eaglestar had called a meeting. He quickly cleaned his fur and straightened his whiskers before joining the crowd, weaving around the other cats to sit beside Graystripe, his father, and Firestripe, the forest's greatest warrior, at the front. Eaglestar gave Graypaw a quick amused glance at him, and he lowered his ears in embarrassment at his mother. Then she began. Graypaw immediately felt a tingling sensation at the sound of her voice. "I would like to call up Graypaw and Featherpaw," she announced. He hesitated, and Graystripe must have noticed, because he urged him forward by his muzzle. Featherpaw seemed a bit dazed, not expecting this in such short notice. Flicking his ear, Graypaw padded up to the base of the Highrock nervously and sat, facing the clan that stared eagerly at him. Bluepaw and Firepaw sitting at the front dragging along Whitepaw didn't help much, either. "I, Eaglestar, leader..." she hesitated. Not long enough for most cats to notice, it seems, but Graypaw did. He guessed she was still not used to calling herself leader. "... of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Graypaw, Featherpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?" Graypaw gulped, aware that all eyes were burning into him now. It was frightening. Then he imagined how Eaglestar must feel. Although nervous he was, he hid it. "I do," he answered, truthfully. Featherpaw gave the same answer after him. "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name: Graypaw, from this moment you will be known as Grayheart. StarClan honours your bravery and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Serve your clan well." Eaglestar bounded off the Highrock and landed in front of him, the thud clearly heard amongst the eery silence. She gave him a respectful lick on the shoulder, and he returned it. "I'm proud of you," she whispered so that no one else could hear. Grayheart let out a small purr, and then she continued. "Featherpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Feathersong. StarClan honours your brightness and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Serve your clan well." For once Grayheart caught a glimpse of the rare Firestripe giving attention to meetings. It was rarely he ever paid attention to these things, and Grayheart wondered why he was so interested now, even if Feathersong was his apprentice. And just like that, the meeting ended. Firestripe approached Eaglestar. "Who's mouse-brained idea was that?" he asked. Grayheart pricked his ears and glared at Firestripe. Why did he always have to be so ''cold? But Eaglestar always put up with it, somehow. "It was your apprentice's mouse-brained idea. If you hadn't wanted it to happen, you shouldn't have told her about Lightningpaw," she replied, giving him a smile. Grayheart shook his head and lifted off his haunches to find the deputy and ask to join a patrol, only to remember that Firestripe is the deputy. Sighing, he approached the silver tom. By now, Grayheart was bigger than the small deputy. "Ahh... may I join a patrol?" Grayheart asked, shuffling his paws. He stared back up at him with a cold stare. Then again, every stare from the greatest warrior was a cold stare. "Hunting patrol. Now," he flicked his tail to the camp entrance, where a few cats had been waiting. There was Dovewing, Whitepaw and Ivypool. Grayheart nodded, joining them, and then they left. He just missed that squirrel. Groaning in frustration, he turned around to return to the patrol. Then a warm breeze swept through, and he smelled a sweet scent of mountain breeze. He glanced around, but all that was there was the forest. Shrugging it off, he returned to the patrol to finish it off. Immediately he grabbed a shrew from the fresh-kill pile and gulfed it down, resting early for his vigil with Feathersong. After his tiring experience, he curled up into his nest for some much-needed sleep. That night, the meadow called to him again. When he woke up, luckily before most warriors, the first thing that he did was pad outside, then make sure no one was watching and he sprinted towards the nursery, circling around and slipping through the secret exit from camp. Grayheart glanced back to make sure no one saw him, then ran off, not even knowing which direction he was going. The scent of the strange she-cat guided him. When the undergrowth and trees left him, he glanced to his left and saw the silhouette of a large bird approaching a big tree. Grayheart realised that it was Owl Tree and he had left ThunderClan territory, now on neutral territory. He kept running in the same direction, passing by Fourtrees on the way, then found himself in open moorland. Yet he didn't slow down. When he found the Outlook Rocks, he veered to the right and cautiously approached the Thunderpath. On the other side he could see Highstones. He was tempted to just run out and find the meadow, but he had to wait until the next monster passed. By the rank scent, he knew it would soon. But there was also something else he scented. WindClan! A patrol was coming! The monster passed by with a roar and a burst of wind, but Grayheart disregarded it, instead sprinting as fast as he could across the Thunderpath. He stopped and rested for a moment when he got to the other side, sighing in relief, then continued. It was like he was running through a moorland that would never end, until finally he caught sight of a large splotch of random colours in the distance. His heart hammering, he suddenly regained his energy and found his way there, overjoyed as he just managed to climb up the hill border, then he collapsed on his side, watching as the wind blew the flowers that covered the hill. He didn't see these flowers in his dream, but he didn't care: it only made the place more beautiful than what it was in his dream. After resting for long enough to regain his energy, something prodded his side. He immediately jumped to his feet in panic and arched his back aggressively. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" the intruder apologised. Recognising the voice, Grayheart's fur flattened and he calmed down, smiling at the white she-cat that stood in front of him, her sky-blue eyes widened. "You looked hurt. Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soothing like honey and softer than he could imagine. It also had somewhat of a foreign accent to it. "I'm better than great, now that you're here!" Grayheart replied. She opened her mouth to reply but only giggled, showing him that she was flattered by his words. He cursed to himself in his mind. "Anyway, what's your name? Why did you bring me here?" The she-cat gave a confused look. "What do you mean, I brought you here?" she asked. Doesn't she remember? Grayheart sighed. "Uh... walk with me. I'll explain," Grayheart answered, picking his way down the hill border and padding with her into the forest. He explained the dream he had, and how her scent guided her here. "Oh... I see. A dream brought you here, like me. I mean... I didn't know about you, but I just dreamed about this place," she muttered, "anyway, what's your name?" "My name is Grayheart. I come from ThunderClan," he answered, staring into her clear eyes. "Grayheart? You're one of the forest cats?" the white she-cat questioned him. "Yes. What about you?" She directed her gaze to the left, then stared back at him. "I'm Snow Falling on Stones," she answered, making a strange gesture of crouching and putting a paw forward, "or just Snow." "That is... a strange name. I've never heard anything like it," he marvelled, flicking his gaze forward as he realised they were approaching the edge of the forest. "Yes. I come from the Tribe of Rushing Water," she replied. Now they began to climb the big centre hill. When they reached the top, they were almost worn out, but quickly regained their energy. Snow's gaze immediately locked onto something above her, and Grayheart realised she was staring in awe at the pink tree he saw in his dream, exactly like it was before. Immediately she approached it, gazing at a branch in particular that jutted outwards to allow a good view of the whole area. "You want to climb it?" Grayheart asked. She nodded. "In the mountains, we don't have trees. I don't know how I'm supposed to get up there," she answered, still staring at it. The grey tom approached the tree, scanning it for a way up. He planted an unsheathed paw in the trunk and heaved himself up, now using three other paws. "Follow me," he commanded. Reluctantly, she did so, occasionally looking down. It didn't feel long until they found themselves on the jutting branch, which gave them a full view of the place, along with the tribe mountain and the clan forest both in the far distances. "It's beautiful up here," Snow marvelled. Grayheart nodded in agreement. It truly was. He'd never been so high up in his life. "The Sanctuary..." she breathed, breaking a minute silence. "What...?" Grayheart replied. He heard her, but was rather confused at the word 'Sanctuary'. "In my dream, I was told that this place is called the Sanctuary," she told him. He nodded in understanding, though the word sounded strange in his head. Just then, a shadow crossed the branch on which they perched. The pair glanced upwards to find the silhouette of a large bird. "Eagle," Snow informed him. Grayheart noted that he'd have to be careful around the tree, yet it seemed not to note them, just cutting through the air with its broad, golden wings as it watched, the wind ruffling its feathers. Grayheart gazed down as his stomach rumbled and he remembered that he hadn't eaten in quite a while. "Hunt?" Snow asked. "Sure," he answered. "You're going to have to show me. I'm not used to hunting in forests," she pouted, carefully picking her way down the trees as he led. She learned quickly, sucessfully catching a rabbit and a two mice. Just like that, time passed by, and it was already sunset. They mewed their goodbyes, promising they'd be back another time that noon. But when Grayheart dreamed, it was always about her. He couldn't ever stop thinking about her for a second, and that served to distract him. He was clumsier than usual over all, and just as he was back to his normal self, they were to meet again. That Leaf-bare, it happened. As he started climbing the now snow-clad hill to the cherry tree, another image creeped into his thoughts. They were together sitting on the flat rock where the tree grew, nuzzling each other affectionately and between them sat a much smaller figure that peered into the waters below, a... kit. Grayheart stopped in his tracks for a moment at the thought of being in love with Snow, but shook his head to try and rid of the feeling - which hadn't worked - and continued the rest of the way up, curling up in the den that the roots of the tree made. A white paw soon stepped in front of the den and a head peered in, joining alongside him and greeting him. He returned the greeting. They spent the day like usual. Hunting, doing whatever and spending time together. Now in the forest, Grayheart crouched through the undergrowth as he scented a rabbit. He waited until it came a bit closer before pouncing, neatly laying his claws on its fragile. soft neck. He picked up the freshly killed prey and, recognising the sweet mountain smell of Snow even with the rabbit in his mouth, he padded towards her direction, finding her staring into a small frozen lake. "Hi," Grayheart greeted, muffled by fur. "What are you doing?" "I wonder if this ice is thick... how much weight do you think this will hold?" Snow asked him as he approached. dropping his rabbit nearby and burying it in the snow. "I heard my father tested some ice by trying to catch a water vole... that didn't exactly end well, though..." he remembered, though that was many seasons ago. "Did he?" a stern voice from behind him came, startling the pair. Grayheart's stomach lurched and a pang of guilt shot through him. Turning around slowly, he came to face a patrol of ThunderClan cats. They really came all this way just to find him? Then he skipped a heartbeat when he saw who the patrol was composed of: Bumblestripe, Blossomfall, Briarlight, Graystripe and Eaglestar. All his kin. Blossomfall stepped forward. "It's funny you say that, brother," the she-cat hissed. They know? I thought Eaglestar had to keep that a secret! Grayheart glanced at the leader worryingly. Her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment, as with all of the eyes turned on him now. "Let's get back to camp. Now. The rogue has no future with you here," Graystripe coughed. Dismayed, Grayheart gave a look back at Snow, who had the same look. He glanced back at the patrol when a shadow sailed on the ground, and soon after the gold eagle they had seen earlier swooped at Graystripe, ready to fell him in a single strike. Suddenly, Grayheart had prepared to see his father laying on the ground, bleeding out, coughing and thrashing as he would slowly lose his life. He quickly shut his eyes. But it never came. A loud shriek of distress was heard, and when Grayheart opened his eyes he saw the eagle struggle on the ground beneath a cat before taking off, throwing the newcomer off course. It abandoned the group and soared away hurriedly, before the newcomer approached Grayheart, who stepped back warily. Graystripe seemed... happy, to say the least, to see this cat. The large tom glanced back at Graystripe with a smile and a gesture of greeting, which he returned, then circled around Grayheart and approached Snow, who was circled by three other cats that, judging by her extremely terrified expression, she must have recognised. "Snow Falling on Stones! What do you think you're doing?!" one of them yowled, a brown tabby she-cat with a small tail. "Nevermind. We have to bring her back to Stoneteller," a light-brown tom replied. The grey tom that narrowly saved Graystripe took up position by Snow's right shoulder, and the light-brown tom took up position at her left, while the two brown tabby she-cats flanked her. They forced Snow away, much to Grayheart's disbelief. A few minutes ago, they had been relaxing peacefully at the lake, and this happened so quickly... "Grayheart! Stop them!" she commanded. As Grayheart leaped, he could feel Bumblestripe's jaws scathe his tail. He held his paws outstretched ready to attack the grey tom while his back was turned, but he just gave a sideways glance and struck him with a sharp blow in the face with an unsheathed, powerful paw. He skidded in the snow that burned him as he did and lay on his side, dazed, then he felt himself being turned onto his back and pinned. "Graystripe, do you know this cat?" the grey tom asked, his amber eyes burning into Grayheart's green ones. "He's your newest brother," his father croaked behind him. The tribe tom laughed. "Grayheart, huh? Who is it this time?" he asked, glancing back. "Stormfur!" "Classified, then." Stormfur released Grayheart, catching up to his search patrol and disappearing. A golden paw prodded his side and Grayheart glanced up to see Eaglestar staring back down at him, the same fury still in her eyes. "Get up," she hissed. He did so. "Do you realise how disappointed I am in you?" Yes. Yes, I do. "Let's get back to camp," Briarlight interrupted. And so they did. Grayheart was confined to camp for a moon as punishment. But that wouldn't stop him from leaving tomorrow. The grey tom perked an ear up then arose from his nest. It was too early for anyone to be up, but Berrynose was guarding the camp. He kept close to the bramble wall, keeping his eyes on the warrior on vigil, until he reached the back of the nursery, where he then slid out, then ran. He found himself back at the Sanctuary, instinctively padding towards the lake where he and Snow last met; he hoped to find her there, even though he knew he wouldn't. He had noticed that the snow had significantly melted, so the lake must have thawed, too. When he got there, his suspicions were confirmed. Grayheart slumped down at the edge, lazily unsheathing his claws and dragging back some dirt, staring down at his own reflections, his ears lowered and his green eyes drowsy with sadness. He closed them, feeling a trickle of liquid drop from them. But then he opened them wide, raising his paw and staring back into the forest as a sudden realisation had hit him. He couldn't just give up. He had to find Snow. "I have to find her!" he told himself, a blast of determination hitting him straight in the face. He ran, through the forest, the meadow, and over the hill border. He ran with all his heart's desire, finding the Sun-drown-place and following it to the mountains, where he pelted on the narrow path at the cliffside, jumping across the hole that had occurred from a previous incident many seasons ago. He had heard the story of how an apprentice had fallen off the cliffside when it broke, but he couldn't remember who it was... Snowpaw, Sedgepaw, Smokepaw... It wasn't important. He focused on what he had to do. Eventually, he had found the waterfall that marked the entrance to the Tribe of Rushing Water. Heart hammering, he stopped a moment to rest, then carried on, crashing through the waterfall that turned his grey pelt almost black. He tried camouflaging against the wall, but the attempt was in vain; the black she-cat in front of him already gave a warning yowl, and immediately it felt as if the whole Tribe was upon him. When he recognised his half-brother's sturdy grey pelt being one of the first to approach, he almost froze, letting out a small whimper before sidestepping as the black she-cat leaped at him. He ran further in the cave, but not much farther when he felt himself being knocked down and turned over. His paws were held down and he was pinned by the one and only Stormfur. "I do not want to hurt you..." he reassured, his amber eyes calm but concerned, "but you must leave the Tribe be. What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked. "I..." Grayheart froze in fear. This was a terrible idea, to go into unknown lands in search for one cat... "I'm here for--!" he heard a cat yowl not far off, and Stormfur was soon thrown off by a dash of white. Relief flooded from him as he recognised his love, and without hesitation he pushed himself up off the rough cave floor, pelting after her as she crashed through the waterfall. He did the same as he heard yowling behind him. "You came!" the white, now silveresque, she-cat exclaimed. "I could never leave you, Snow," Grayheart breathed, "you know that." She smiled. They ran, together, away from the Tribe, though he knew some cats still chased after him. Namely, Stormfur and his family, though he was sure a few others followed in pursuit of the clan cat and the tribe cat. Grayheart breathed a sigh of relief when he saw somewhere out in the not-so-far distance was the part where they would begin descending. He then realised that the snows had begun again and would grow heavy soon. That would make things difficult, more than they were now, but he had to keep running no matter what. For her. They leaped over the hole perfectly and continued their sprint, almost beginning to descend. But Grayheart skidded to a stop when he heard a fatal crack in the ground. "N..." He could hardly finish his word before the ground below him began to crumble. Snow had noticed and turned back, helplessly looking on as a petrified Grayheart started falling when the stone finally gave way. He felt his paws scramble on the still sturdy stone at his face, to no avail, and closed his eyes, prepared to meet his end. But then a pair of jaws struck his scruff. He was now being lifted closer to the surface. Thank StarClan! ''he almost burst out, as he felt his paws one-by-one touch solid ground. He gazed gratefully back up at Stormfur, who didn't return the gaze, staring with widened amber eyes in front of him. When a yowl was heard from behind him Grayheart shot a glance across the newly made hole. Snow was caught on the ledge on the other side! She looked back worrily at them with clouded blue eyes as wide as the full moon. He almost jumped to her aid, but Stormfur dragged him back with a warning hiss. "Snow! Hold on!" he called, but her instinct took over and she scrambled, jumping over to their side. Her claws scraped desperately onto the stone, but she couldn't find a good grip. Grayheart found himself stepping in to help her, lunging forward to grab her scruff in his teeth. But he missed. And she fell... Her sky-blue eyes wide in despair as she fell. Down, and down into the abyss, never to return. She was gone. "NOOOOOO!!!" Grayheart screamed, catching the last glimpse of her white pelt. His throat burned with grief, his eyes wet with despair, and his pelt burned with guilt. This was ''his doing. "I..." he sobbed, breaking a few minutes' silence. "I'm sorry... t-this was... my f-fault..." "Come with us," Stormfur sighed. Grayheart agreed without question, following them back to the cave. "Where is she?!" yowled an approaching tom as they entered the cave. Grayheart's pelt prickled in guilt; he knew who the Tribe tom meant, and she was not coming back. "Stoneteller," Stormfur called. A grey, large tom approached, bowing his head. "Stormfur." "I'm afraid... Snow is not coming back..." he murmured. Mutters rippled throughout the cave, making Grayheart shrink back. Stoneteller's strong amber eyes burning into him didn't help. "It's your fault!" called the black tom, "she died because of you! I bet she--" "Dark Shadow on Water!" Stoneteller scolded. The tom immediately became quiet, stepping back and throwing one last angered glance at the ThunderClan warrior. Stoneteller then gazed at Grayheart. "You should leave," he meowed. "Take a piece of prey and go. We do not want to see you here again." He gestured to the black she-cat, who handed him a hawk. Reluctantly, Grayheart ate the bird, licking his lips then nodding at the leader. Stormfur and his mate accompanied the warrior back to the Sanctuary before leaving him on his own. A warm breeze ruffled his fur and a sweet scent of mountain breeze called to him. With a hopeful heart, Grayheart pelted through the forest, climbing the hill to the cherry tree. Maybe he would find her there.. staring in the spring, or on the viewing branch, or in the tree den... But when he reached the spring there was no white she-cat there. Sighing and choking up with grief, Grayheart made his way to the clear water, sitting on one of the flat rocks. Thankfully, there was no snow. That was, until, a single snowflake danced its way to his side, lowering peacefully before hitting the rock next to him. Three words flooded his mind, three words that he suddenly knew the meaning to now. Snow always falls. ---- END Category:PG Category:Warrior cats